"Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and your stranger that is within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear YHWH your Elohim, and observe to do all the words of this law."

Remembering Yosef – Parashat Miketz 2012-13

Miketz ( Gen 41:1-44:17 Haftarah 1 Ki 3:15-4:1) is the 10th parashat in the book of B’reisheet also called Genesis, and is called Miketz which means ‘At the end’. In this week’s parashat:

– 2 years later Par’oh dreamed of 7 fat heifers coming out of a river and 7 lean ones that ate the 7 fat ones
– Par’oh had a 2nd dream 7 good heads of grain on one stalk and 7 bad ones came and ate the 7 good ones
– Par’oh called all his wise men but they couldn’t tell him what it meant
– Then the cupbearer remembered Yosef and Par’oh sent for Yosef to come to him from prison
– Par’oh said I heard you can interpret dreams and Yosef said not me but Elohim and Par’oh told him his 2 dreams
– Yosef told Par’oh the 2 dreams were one and that 7 good years are coming then 7 years of famine
– Yosef told Par’oh to appoint a man over Egypt to store up 20% of the grains from the 7 good years so they will have grain during the 7 bad years
– Par’oh put Yosef in charge and gave him great power in Egypt and gave him Asenat for a wife
– Yosef stored up the grain and had 2 sons before the famine one whose name was Menasheh and the 2nd was named Efrayim
– The famine came and all the people went to Yosef for Food
– Ya’akov sent all of his sons except Benyamin to Egypt to buy grain
– Yosef’s brothers came and bowed before him not knowing who he was and asking for grain but he dealt harsh with them
– Yosef accused them of being spies and threw them all in prison for 3 days saying they needed to bring their youngest brother back to Egypt
– Yosef told them to go take food to their family and leave one brother in prison until they return with their youngest brother
– Yosef commanded their sacks to be filled and their money put inside and when they found it on the way home they were afraid
– When they returned they told Ya’akov all that happened but he wouldn’t let them take Benyamin and return
– When they ran out of food they had to go again to Egypt so they took Benyamin, double money and gifts and went
– Yosef told his servants to prepare a meal and his brothers were brought into his house and they were afraid
– They told Yosef’s servant that they found their money again in their sacks and he told them not to worry
– When Yosef came his brothers still not knowing who he was bowed down and offered gifts to him
– Once Yosef saw his brother Benyamin he went to another room and cried then washed his face and returned to them
– Yosef set them in order at the table from oldest to youngest and gave Benyamin five times as much as the others
– Yosef commanded that their sacks be filled and their money put in the sacks and his cup put in the youngest’s sack
– Once they left to return home Yosef sent a servant to catch them and ask why they took his cup
– They said let him die and us be your servants if the cup be found among us and they searched and it was in Benyamin’s sack
– They returned to Yosef and bowed down saying what can we say Elohim has found out our lawlessness and Yosef said leave – Benyamin and go home
– Haftarah – Shlomo shows his wisdom by solving a dispute between two woman over a child